NORTH SALT LAKE – City officials are adjusting the budget to help make Deer Hollow Reservoir look better.

The North Salt Lake City Council will hold a public hearing on amendments to the city’s 2013-2014 budget on Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. at the city hall building. The biggest change will be the approval of an extra $100,000 for beautification of the new reservoir, the result of the city’s efforts to stem complaints about the project.

“We’ve come up with some improvements as we’ve worked with residents,” said North Salt Lake Assistant Manager Ken Leetham.

Some of the planned improvements include tree planting, extra landscaping and the addition of a wrought iron fence.

The basin is part of the city’s efforts to increase their secondary water supply, which has been facing dramatic shortages this summer. Controversy over the project sprang up earlier this summer when residents complained that they were given no notice about the construction of the large cement basin.

Initially, the city had planned on simply lining the two reservoirs that were already in place, but ground stability issues changed the project partway through the process. City manager Barry Edwards confirmed that there were no notices to inform the neighborhood of this change, or public hearings to listen to resident feedback.

Residents took their complaints to the city council in July. One common issue with the project was the unattractiveness of the large cement basin, and the fear that it would lower the property value of the nearby homes.

“Essentially, you put in a concrete structure that’s no better looking than a warehouse,” said nearby resident Chris Faddis at a July 2 meeting.

Other possible amendments to the budget focus on a neighborhood park the city is constructing on the south of the Foxboro neighborhood. The city council will consider improvements to the park, including fencing, sidewalks and possibly a streetlight.

“Those are just some of the things they could approve,” said Leetham. “They haven’t talked about it yet.”